Bard Tales: Harper Trial
by Blackstaff
Summary: Bowie Butterball journeys with his Harper purpils to brave the dangers of Myth Drannor, as they go on a quest to become full fledged Harpers.
1. Prelude

**Prelude**

Hammer 12 1362 DR, Year of the Helm

Bowie Butterball drew his short sword and walked up to the large wooden door. Turning around he watched as his dwarf friend Rouric Balderk was walking towards him.

"I didn't think we would ever defeat those dragonspawn," the beefy blond haired dwarf said to the stout halfling bard. "Especially after Silvira and Destin fell to their claws."

Bowie let out a sigh and brushed back his curly brown hair. Going on four days without sleep, he and his fellow Harper recruits have been traveling the ruins of Myth Drannor for over a day now, as part of their mission before they became full fledged Harpers. Several rooms back, Destin and Silvira, who had been fellow Harper recruits, had fallen to dragonspawn back at the ruined temple of Hanali Celanil.

"The next room should be safe," Bowie said with a smile as he pushed the door open.

Rouric shook his head and scratched his beard. "That's what ya said before, but that didn't all the monsters from attacking us."

The bard shook his head and stepped into the room. After Rouric came inside, they walked to the end of the vacant room and walked down a narrow hallway. Rouric's eyes lifted upward. The dwarf let out a gasp when he saw the various runes drawn on the ceiling

"I wonder what this section of Myth Drannor once was?" he asked out loud.

"It was probably a section of the city where clerical magic was the strongest," the halfling answered in his evangelistic voice. "The runes you see on the ceiling are actually names of elven gods. Yet they aren't magical."

Rouric patted Bowie on the back as they entered a dark room. Bowie sang a quick song and cast a light spell on the gold piece he carried in his pocket. The moment Bowie's coin touched the ground, a white glow engulfed the entire room. The bard's eyes widened when he saw the creature in the center of the room.

"That looks like a gray skinned human with a vultures' head and wings," Rouric whispered as he stood next to Bowie. "Either that or a gray skinned vulture with human legs."

"That is a vrock, a demon from the abyss," replied the halfling as he pointed his short sword Vithril (known as Deathwaltz to it's victims) forward. The vrock let out a screech and flew at the two Harper recruits. Rouric swung his great axe high, cutting off a large portion of the vrock's left wing.

As the demon landed, Bowie charged and slashed Vithril across the vrock's face. After a splash of blood flew from the wound, Bowie swung his blade once more, but the demon slapped away the sword and dug his claws deeply through the halfling's chest.

Bowie stepped back, his chest throbbing with pain. The vrock let out a screech of laughter until he felt Rouric's axe rip through his back.

When the vrock turned to face Rouric, Bowie stabbed his short sword though the back of the demon's neck.. The vrock let out a painful death cry before falling to the ground.

"Shame we didn't get to see him tap his toes," the dwarf said with laugh. His laughter ended when he saw the blood and rips on Bowie's leather jerkin. "Bowie, are ya all right?"

Bowie nodded his head, then lifted his hand. "I'll live for now, though I'm not sure how long, seeing as the demon's friends decided to stop by." Rouric looked over, seeing two more vrocks fly down from the ceiling

"You'll pay for that," growled one of the demons as it flew into the air.

The dwarf let out a fierce cry as the vrocks landed in front of him and swung his axe forward, cutting a large gash through a vrock's stomach. Rouric gave his axe another mighty swing, taking off the demon's head.

Next to Rouric, Bowie sliced Vithril through the vrock's shoulder. After Bowie pulled his weapon back, the bloody demon tried to scratch the halfling's already bleeding chest, but the power of the bard's weapon took effect, and the vrock's feet began to dance with lightning speed.

Bowie slashed Vithril two more times across the demon's body, then watched as the lifeless body fell to the ground. Then, the halfling heard footsteps coming from behind him. He turned to face this new attacker, swinging his blade as his body turned.

But Bowie's weapon was blocked by a long sword that was being held by a beautiful silver haired woman wearing elven chain armor.

"Congratulations boys, you've successfully passed your trial," Storm Silverhand said with a big smile. Her eyes widened when she saw the blood on Bowie's leathers.

Rouric walked over to Bowie and placed a hand on his back. "Well done Bowie, we're officially Harpers now."

"That's great," Bowie said in a weak voice. "I'm going to celebrate with a nap." Storm and Rouric looked at each other, unsure of what Bowie was saying. Then the halfling fell to the ground and began to sleep peacefully.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Midsummer 1368 DR, Year of the Banner

It was a quiet evening at the Old Skull Inn. The blistering summer's heat forced many travelers up north, which took a toll on the Skull's profits. Still, the small inn that resided in Shadowdale, had it's night-to-night regulars, who mostly sat to tell stories or share gossip.

Cleaning off one of the square wooden tables, a tall blue eyed slender young man named Val Rowenmantle, glanced over at a table of young maidens, who were swapping gossip from the lands of Cormyr.

Brushing back his short white-blond hair, Val turned his head to his best friend Roland Heronious and said," One thing I don't miss about Arabel, or rather Cormyr in general, is all the gossip."

Standing a few inches shorter than Val's six and a half foot stature, Roland had black hair that went past his ears, and emerald eyes. "I know what you mean," he said in a low enough voice so that no one could hear him.

After finishing cleaning off the tables, Roland and Val removed the cotton aprons that covered their shirts and dark leather breeches. They then walked over and sat at a large wooden round table that was being occupied by Val's sister (or half-sister to some nobles in Cormyr) Virgo and a young red haired druid named Sawyer.

Unlike Val, Virgo stood a little below five and a half feet, with a curvy and voluptuous figure. Her hair strawberry blond hair was long and curly. No one would ever guess that her and Val were related, except for they both had their mother's eyes.

Sawyer was like the other two young men, tall and slender, though the many faint scars on his arms and legs showed that he had spent a lot of time with dangerous animals and plants in the woods. His dark red hair went down past his shoulders and his eyes were dark green. This evening, he and Virgo wore dark green cloaks over their leathers.

"Have a good night in the woods?" Val asked with a smirk. He liked to tease his sister and the druid about their romantic relationship.

Virgo placed her delicate hand on Sawyer's. "Actually, we were at Storm's house." Val and Roland looked at each other and grinned. "Not like that!" the woman added with a fierce kick to both of their legs.

Both young men let out a painful scream. "I was just teasing," Val said, holding his leg.

"Yeah Virgo, we were only jesting," Roland added with a growl.

Virgo Rowenmantle rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Come on, I didn't kick you that hard."

"That's what you said about combat practice yesterday," Val remarked. After the pain in his leg subsided, he added," Speaking of which, did Bowie tell you both to meet him here?"

Sawyer nodded. "We saw him just before we left Storm's house. He seemed pretty excited about something."

"I'll bet its that Harper mission he has been planning for us," guessed Roland. "My aunt Myrmeen told me that these missions range from guarding a caravan to finding some sort of treasure."

Val sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. It had been over two years since Bowie had arrived in Eveningstar and taken him and Roland to Shadowdale, to train and become Harpers. Along with Sawyer and Virgo, they trained with the halfling and the famous bard Storm Silverhand. The training was mostly combat and history lessons, but it was still extremely hard work. Now it seemed that there was one final task before he and the others became full fledged Harpers.

Still, Val did not like the idea of simply guarding a caravan for the Harper trial, and judging by the looks he had seen, the others weren't too keen on the idea either.

"Ah good evening Beautiful Virgo, perhaps you would like a seat at my table," a musical voice sang from the opposite end of the room. Everyone turned to see Torm the thief, along with his priest friend Rathan, sitting at a small table.

Torm curled his mustache and smiled. "Leave the children, and come sit with a real man." Rathan rolled his eyes and continued to drink his ale. Val and Roland looked at each other, ready to attack, but then a beautiful voice filled the inn.

_The Slumbering Siren calls to ye,_

_Close your eyes so you will not see,_

_The ugliness of the Siren Lad-y._

_The Slumbering Siren calls to ye._

Torm's eyes suddenly shut and his face feel onto the table. Rathan let out a cheer and said," I've been waiting for someone to do that for years. Thank ye Bowie Butterball."

"My pleasure," Bowie Butterball replied as he stepped inside, his evangelistic voice ringing through the inn. "I've warned Torm about taunting my students." The stout halfling shook his head, then winked at the four Harper recruits.

"A round for the halfling and his friends," Rathan cried.

Roland's and Val's eyes lit up. The one grand thing about training with Bowie Butterball, was the free mugs of alcohol he would receive for his services of protecting Shadowdale from drunkards, the lechers, and those who could not carry tune to save their lives.

Bowie walked over to the table and took a seat between the brother and sister. The halfling looked at Sawyer and smiled. "Erilett is asleep in Storm's kitchen."

"I was wondering where the beaver was this evening," said Roland, referring to Sawyer's wolverine animal companion.

A prideful smile escaped from the druid's lips. "I would hardly label Erilett a beaver Roland, especially since her claws can rip most hides to shreds."

"Not to mention she can also rip through orcs and drow," Val added," and there was that giant she took down single handed, I mean single clawed."

Roland sighed, but Bowie put up his hand. "We're not here to talk about beavers or wolverines," he said in a quiet voice. "I called you all hear to speak about your Harper mission, which starts tomorrow morning."

Virgo and Sawyer smiled while Roland's and Val's eyes lit up once more. "Where are we going?" Val asked in an excited voice.

"We're going to Myth Drannor," the bard answered. He sat back, waiting for everyone's reactions. Roland and Val grew more excited. Virgo began to get excited as well.

"The ancient elven city," she said with a whisper. "So much history lies there."

Sawyer looked down at the green bladed sword on his belt. He then looked at Bowie and asked," What's the mission? Are we suppose to find some sort of treasure, or vanquish a monster?"

Bowie shrugged. "All you need to do is survive the set of ruins we explore. Any treasure you find is yours. Any heads you lob off with your weapons are yours."

"What if we find artifacts, like the Scepter of the Sorcerer Kings?" asked Val. "Or the Wand of Orcus?"

"Or the Cormanthor Elf Blades?" added Roland. "Or the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords? Or Crenshinibon?"

The halfling laughed. Hearing the names of famous artifacts like these from the two young men, Bowie knew that they had learned something about history during their Harper training. "If you are lucky enough to find those, you can keep them."

"Sounds interesting," the druid said with a smile. "Is it going to be just us five?"

"Six if you count Erilett," Bowie replied as Val and Roland left the table to get some ale. Their voices could be heard from the other side of the room, talking about finding artifacts like the Eyes of Selune and the Ring of Gaxx. "Seven if you count Sylune," Bowie continued after listening to part of the conversation Roland and Val were having.

Virgo turned to Sawyer and asked," Why the questions love?"

The druid let out a sigh. "I'm sorry darling, it's just I've heard many stories about Myth Drannor. Also, my sword has been wanting us to take a journey to Myth Drannor for some time."

"Well then she will be happy," Val said as he sat back in his seat, his mug full of the Skull's finest ale. "There will be nothing that can withstand us."

"Especially with the strength of Val, Virgo, and Roland," Roland said as he sipped his ale and sat back in his chair.

"Then there's Sawyer's druid magic," commented Val," and Bowie's bardic music."

Roland nodded. "And there's Sylune's silver fire, and the beaver's claws of doom."

The two young men gave a toast in honor of Erilett's sharp claws, then downed their glasses together. It was at this time that Bowie said his goodnight and left the Old Skull Inn.

Sawyer and Virgo looked at each other, then looked at the front door. They knew the halfling had gone back to Storm Silverhand's house to start packing for their journey.

Bowie Butterball sneaked through the back door past the kitchen (he did his best to not to wake the sleeping wolverine) and up the stairs. He could heard the voices of Storm Silverhand and Danilo Thann coming from the study. Danilo was discussing with Storm about reopening New Olamn's Bard College in Waterdeep. Bowie sneered when he heard the laughter in Danilo's voice.

It was from Danilo Thann's mouth (or rather the donkey's mouth as Roland and Val would say) that Bowie learned of how his parent's died, murdered by the Zhentarim wizard Manshoon. Manshoon had promised Bowie's mother Shayna that she could leave the Zhentarim Organization and not worry about Zhents coming after her or her family. Then one night, the wizard came and killed both Shayna and her husband Thomas, right in front of six year old son's eyes.

The memory still brought water to Bowie's eyes, though it was mostly anger he felt, not fear. Someday, he would confront Manshoon, and asked why he killed his mother. Yet now, it was all about training his four charges.

From the study, Storm asked Bowie if he was on the steps, then Danilo said something about Bowie being an adequate bard, but not good enough to be a teacher at New Olamn's The halfling didn't answer either of them, and quickly went upstairs to his room, and began packing for the journey to Myth Drannor.

The thought of Sawyer, Virgo, Val, and Roland succeeding and being inducted into the Harpers, brought more tears to Bowie's eyes. After all the months of combat training, history lessons, and even a few minor missions to help others, it would all come down to this last trial.

"How did they take the announcement?" a dreamy ghost-like voice asked Bowie from behind him. The bard turned to see the ghost of Sylune Silverhand hovering near the doorway.

"Rather well," Bowie responded to his godmother. "Everyone is excited to make this journey, though Sawyer said something about his sword wanting to go to the ruins."

Sylune nodded. "The soul that possess his sword died in Myth Drannor thousands of years ago. It has passed the hands of many wielders, and slain many demons in the ruins of the great elven city."

Bowie nodded, then looked at Sylune. "I told them you were coming with us. I would have asked Storm or Rouric if they wanted to go. Rouric is busy getting Shadowdale's soldiers into shape, and Storm has guests."

Sylune giggled as her god son rolled his eyes at the last few words he said. "I hope that they are ready Bowie."

Bowie nodded in agreement. "I hope so too Sylune, but I know that they will prevail above all obstacles, and vanquish all foes. If not, they will at least die fighting, and I will die fighting along side them."

Sylune's face lit up with pride, and if she could still shed tears, they would be falling to the floor. She was proud of her godson, and knew that Thomas and Shayna would be proud of their son, especially if that could see him now.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Midsummer 1368 DR, Year of the Banner

The next day, at around midday, was when Bowie and his Harper recruits, along with the wolverine, entered the lush and beautiful forest of Cormanthor.

Trees taller than the tallest stone buildings of Waterdeep, were green and full of life. With his dark green cloak covering his leather armor, Sawyer walked in front of the group. He was overcome with awe and excitement as he gazed up at the fernwoods that covered the area. He felt part of the natural energy that flowed through the forest. When his eyes looked up, he saw a tiny bird flying through the air. The bird gave the druid a fly-by message, then flew off.

"What did the bird say?" Virgo asked her lover, hooking his arm around hers. A shiver went down Sawyer's body as he felt the smoothness of her scale mail armor on his skin.

"She told me that there is an owlbear nest nearby," answered Sawyer as Erilett walked up next to him and began sniffing the area. The druid bent down and gave the wolverine a soothing scratch between the ears.

Val drew his blue hilted magical great sword Frostburn and looked at Sawyer. "How far are the owlbears?"

"Right here!" Roland cried, his breastplate armor clanking as he drew his red hilted bastard sword Flamestrike. Eight owlbears came into view, their eyes filled with hunger.

Tightening his rhino hide armor, Val charged the first owlbear, swinging his great sword at the beast's neck. The magical great sword ripped though the owlbear's feathers, then the power of the Val's blade turned the owlbear's body into ice. Val swung Frostburn once more, shattering the owlbear's body upon impact.

Two more owlbears lunged at Val, but the young man stepped out of the way of his attackers. Behind him, Sawyer channeled the energy of nature and released his Thorn Spray spell. Many sharp thorns shot from the druid's arm and flew into the two owlbears.

From behind Sawyer, Roland and Virgo ran forward, towards the group of five remaining owlbears. Roland slashed Flamestrike across one owlbear's belly. The owlbear let out a loud scream as it felt a burning pain where the flaming bastard sword had cut. Next to Roland, Virgo stabbed her Berserker Blade bastard sword through one owlbear's leg. The owlbear stumbled for a moment, but let out a cry as it felt two sharp claws dig into it's wounded leg. When she saw Erilett run from under the owlbear's legs, Virgo finished the owlbear with a hard cut through the shoulders.

In the back of the group, Bowie Butterball began to sing a soft Harper ballad. The power of the bard's song inspired some more energy for his Harper recruits.

Filled with the power of the song, Val and Roland let out a furious war cry and swung their weapons, cutting down two more owlbears. Val was about to go for the final owlbear, but the wolverine moved past him and jumped in the air, ripping out the owlbear's throat with her sharp claws.

"Well that was fun," commented Roland as he sheathed Flamestrike.

"I agree," added Val in a cheerful tone. "If that what its going to be like in Myth Drannor, then we'll be just fine."

Sawyer bent down low and gave Erilett a small treat for her job well done. Val and Roland walked by and gave the wolverine a well deserved pat on the back. Virgo, who had been standing next to the druid, turned to see Bowie looking up at a tree.

The bard let out a sigh as he traced a small finger over an oddly shaped run on the tree's surface.

"Is everything all right?" Virgo asked.

Bowie turned to the young woman and nodded. "Yes Virgo, everything is just fine."

The bard and his Harper recruits decided to camp at dusk, under the cover of some tall trees. Sawyer had decided to cook supper this evening, while Roland and Val prepared the tents, one for Bowie and one for themselves. Sawyer and Virgo decided that they would sleep outside.

After a few helpings of the druid's delicious stew, Val and Roland began to look around the base of a large oak tree. "What are you two doing?" Virgo asked her brother as she stroked the sleeping wolverine's fur

"We're looking for Harper runes," Roland answered with a smile.

"Bowie told us a while ago that there some Harper sigils in the Cormanthor's forest," Val added with a smile.

Virgo turned to Bowie, who was plucking the strings of his harp. "Is that what you were looking at earlier?"

Bowie nodded. "Yes, there was a rune on the tree, that said a Harper was killed there."

"What do you think killed the Harper?" the druid asked after he finished cleaning the pot he cooked the stew in.

The halfling shrugged. "It could be a number of things. Drow, those owlbears, or maybe even Zhentarim. Or it could be that the person left it there to think he, or she was dead. Harper runes are usually hidden rather well, so when I looked at it, I found it quite odd that it was out in the open."

"We found one!" Roland and Val shouted as they brought over a rock with a shape drawn on it. Bowie took one look at it and shook his head.

"What's wrong?" asked Val. "Is it a Harper rune, or not?"

"It is," answered Bowie," This one says that the water is not safe to drink."

Val and Roland blew a sigh of relief. "Good think we decided not to drink from that small lake," Roland commented.

Bowie smiled, then gazed up at the sky, watching Selune's beautiful moon, hovering in the night's sky. "It's getting late gentlemen," Bowie said as his eyes returned to the earth. "You should get some sleep."

"What if something attacks us?" Roland asked. "We don't want to be caught off guard."

The halfling shook his head. "This part of the forest is well protected. We also have the Witch of Shadowdale, who said that she will keep watch."

Val stretched his arms. "I probably couldn't go to sleep, even if I wanted to. Soon, we'll be in Myth Drannor, battling evil forces." His voice was cut off, when he heard the soothing sound of Bowie's singing. He then fell asleep on the forest ground. Roland had also put up little resistance, as he too fell asleep after a few seconds of listening to the bard's song of slumber.

After the two young men were asleep, Virgo and Sawyer carried them to their tent, then they walked over to their own bedrolls where Erilett was sleeping, unrolled them, and fell asleep.

"You best be getting some sleep yourself," Sylune's voice echoed through Bowie's mind. The halfling nodded as he stood up and walked inside of his tent.

From the inside of his tent, Bowie could hear the snoring coming from the other tent. The halfling let out a laugh and closed his eyes, letting himself being taken by the sweet seductress known as slumber.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Midsummer 1368 DR, Year of the Banner

They had reached the desired area of Myth Drannor by the next afternoon. As the bard and the young Harper recruits continued towards the desired area of the ancient elven city, a beautiful woman with long silver hair approached them. She wore beautiful scale mail armor, similar to Virgo's, and carried a long sword at her side.

"Good day to you Bowie Butterball and Harpers to be," greeted Dove Falconhand with a warm smile.

Roland and Val stared in awe at the woman. They hard many stories about Dove Falconhand, and her husband Florin, and now they were meeting her, face to face. Sawyer's eyes also gazed at the woman, who then stared at him for a lingering moment. After a playful hit from Virgo, he let out a smile and looked down at Erilett, who rubbed up against his leg.

"Good day to you Lady Dove," Bowie greeted with a bow. "It looks like you are on Knight Patrol today."

"Yes I am Bowie Butterball," Dove answered. "It seems Torm and Rathan were unable to do their job." Roland and Val glanced at Bowie and laughed. The halfling sighed as a smile parted his lips.

"Congratulations on making this far," Dove continued in a more serious voice. "Like many, the road the lies before you is a difficult one, where some of you might not make it. If you do make it out alive, then the life of a Harper awaits you. Truthfully, you couldn't have asked for a better teacher, Good luck to you all."

With that, Dove Falconhand walked out of their sight. Bowie turned to the entrance of the set of ruins that he and the young Harpers were about to explore. He sensed a powerful being down there.

"I can't believe that Dove Falconhand wished us luck," Val said with a big smile.

"Me neither," Roland added with a big smile," and did you see the way she was looking-" he stopped when he saw a glare from Virgo. Bowie smiled as he looked back at the Harper recruits.

"Come on then, let's do some exploring," Bowie said soft voice.

The Harper recruits and their halfling teacher slowly walked down the dark and narrow hallway, flanked by walls decorated with runes and ripped up tapestries.

In the lead, the druid sensed a strange feeling that he had been here before. His dark green eyes glanced down at the sword on his belt. "Elowynn, have you been here before?" he asked the sword.

_This place seems familiar to me. I visited the streets of Myth Drannor many years ago, in the hands of many wielders,_ the sword responded in a soothing voice.

Sawyer nodded, then looked at Virgo. "Elowynn says that she was in this place, many years ago."

Virgo looked at the sword, then back at her lover. "Does she know what lies ahead?" The druid paused for a moment as the sword responded to him. Then he shook his head no. Next to Sawyer, the wolverine's nose caught a scent and ran forward.

Several steps back, Roland and Val had great difficulty trying to keep themselves calm. They kept their hands on their respective blades and jumped at any sound they heard. Next to them, Bowie had managed to keep his composure. He had never seen these parts of Myth Drannor, nor heard about it from Storm.

"We found a room!" Virgo's voice ran up from up ahead. Roland and Val looked at each other, then ran eagerly towards Virgo and the druid. A second later, Bowie followed suit, running to catch up with the young Harper recruits.

When Bowie caught up with the others, he saw a large wooden door. Erilett was on the ground, growling.

"What's wrong with the beaver?" asked Roland.

Sawyer turned to the others. "She gets like this whenever she smells goblins."

Val looked down at the wolverine. His eyes widened when he saw the hair stick up from the wolverine's back. "There must be a lot of goblins then."

Sawyer and Virgo let out a chuckle. Bowie stepped forward and looked at the door. "Should be easy to break," he remarked in a soft voice. "Anyone want to give it a try?" Before Val and Roland could accept the bard's challenge, Virgo stepped up and gave the door a mighty kick. The door flew off it's rusted hinges and fell to the floor as it hit the ground.

This caused the ten hobgoblins in the room to be caught off of their guard. Erilett dashed into the room and leaped at one of the hobgoblins, ripping the throat. After her claws tore into the flesh, she flipped off of the dead hobgoblin's body and landed on to another, slashing her claws though the hobgoblin's face.

Val and Roland charged into the room. They swung their blades high, deflecting the spears that were being jabbed at them. One of the spears managed to pierce Val's shoulder while two stabbed Roland in the side.

Already in the room, Virgo let out a scream of rage and tackled the hobgoblin that had wounded her brother. The hob tried to throw Virgo off of his body, but the young woman punched him in his face, breaking the hob's nose. The hobgoblin let out a painful scream that was ceased when Virgo snapped his neck.

Sawyer stepped in front of the hobgoblins that were attacking Roland and Val. Sawyer drew Elowynn, hearing the sword's battle cry as he stabbed it through a hobgoblin's heart. The druid quickly pulled the sword free and stabbed another hob in the face. _Back you vile creatures!_ echoed the sword through the druid's mind.

Behind Sawyer, the bard and the two young wounded Harper recruits each faced a hobgoblin. Roland stepped forward, slashing Flamestrike in a diagonal cut. A thin line of fire emerged from the cut Roland had made with his sword. The hobgoblin let out a cry as his insides began to burn from Flamestrike's cut.

Next to Roland, Val parried the hobgoblin's spear, then drove Frostburn through the hob's midsection. The hobgoblin let out a shiver as coldness began to flow through his body, freezing his internal organs. Val struck once more, this time, turning the hobgoblin's body to ice. No less than a second later, the frozen hobgoblin stature shattered, the frozen pieces sliding across the floor.

Bowie had made quick work of his hobgoblin, slashing it twice across the stomach. The bard felt the hobgoblin's spear penetrate his leather jerkin and the elven chain armor underneath it. He ignored the pain and slashed the hob across the throat.

The two remaining hobgoblins were trying to stab their spears at Erilett, but the wolverine was too quick. She jumped onto the chest of one of the hobgoblins and bit out his throat, then tried to jump on the final hob. The hobgoblin batted the wolverine away, then ran for the door.

Just as Erilett was about to chase after her prey, fire sprang up from the floor and covered the hobgoblin. The hob let out a death cry that rang through the wolverine's ears. Once the hobgoblin was dead, Erilett turned to her master, who smiled at the succession of his Inferno spell.

"Sawyer, you might want to save those spells for Roland and me," Val said, holding his bloody shoulder. The druid smiled and placed a hand on Val's shoulder, channeling the healing energies of nature that lay hidden in the ruins. Seconds later, the wound across Val's shoulder closed.

Sawyer then walked over to Roland, healing his wounds. Virgo walked over to Sawyer and kissed him. Roland and Val looked at each other, shaking their heads, then walked over to the wolverine, petting her on the back.

Bowie took a moment to examine the room. On one of the walls, he noticed a painting of a red dragon that took up well over half of the wall. "It looks like a dragon maybe resting in these parts," he said quietly.

"A dragon?" Val and Roland asked in unison.

Bowie nodded. "Yes my friends, a dragon. I didn't count on this. We can turn back if you want." Val and Roland shook their heads, as did Sawyer and Virgo. The halfling knew that they wanted to test the extent of their abilities.

"I say we continue ahead," Sawyer said, looking at everyone. "Who knows, maybe the dragon-" he stopped when he felt something trying to push it's way into his thoughts. On his belt, Elowynn gave a violent shake that pushed whatever it was, out of the druid's mind.

The others stared at Sawyer, wondering what had just happened. "Love, what's the matter?" Virgo asked, her voice filled with concern.

Sawyer scratched his head. "It felt like something was trying to get into my thoughts. Like it was digging it's way into my mind."

"Something, or someone probably was trying to read your thoughts," Bowie said, looking at Sawyer over.

"Do you think it was the dragon?" Val asked.

"Maybe it was some powerful wizard," Roland suggested. "One who lives in Shadowdale, or someone from inside of Myth Drannor."

Bowie's eyes looked over at the Purple Dragon ring on Virgo's finger. "Or maybe a wizard from Cormyr."

Several miles away, in the beautiful city of Suzail, capital of Cormyr, Queen Filfaeril walked through the palace halls and stepped into a small room. On the floor was the beautiful War Wizard Laspeera, who was still feeling the affects of a failed mind reading attempt.

"I take it you couldn't read Sawyer's mind," Filfaeril guessed as she helped the War Wizard to her feet.

Laspeera shook her head. "I was starting to break through, but then an elven woman pushed me out."

"It must have been the bard, or that sword Azoun gave him," Filfaeril commented with a sigh. "Did you learn anything?"

The War Wizard smiled. "I learned that they are in a section of Myth Drannor where a red dragon might be sleeping."

The Queen of Cormyr turned away for a moment, then looked back at Laspeera. "Go to Arabel and contact Mymreen and Molliandra. They will want to know how Roland, Val, and Virgo are doing. I will talk with Jessica and tell her about Sawyer."

"Anything else your majesty?" Laspeera asked before leaving.

The queen nodded. "Pray to the gods that our loved ones make it out of Myth Drannor alive."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Midsummer 1368 DR, Year of the Banner

With Erilett at his side and Virgo a few steps back, Sawyer took the lead once more as he and the others continued their way though the ruins. In the back of the group, Roland and Val were devising a plan to fight the dragon. The druid shook his head as his ears picked up the conversation. He wasn't sure if he wanted to kill the dragon.

Once, a drow ranger had told Sawyer, that dragons were beautiful creatures, as mighty as the gods themselves. On the other hand, Sawyer wondered how he and his comrades would fare against a dragon, especially a large one.

After they all stopped at a door, Virgo came up to join him and wrapped an arm around him. She pointed up at a painting of a silver dragon bird on the wall. "That painting, isn't it beautiful?"

"It is," Sawyer answered, holding her close," but not as beautiful as you."

"Hey Dove and Florin," Val called out as he opened the door that revealed a staircase that descended down into the next level of ruins. Are you two going to stare at the painting all day, or are you going to come with us?"

Virgo walked over and hit Val hard in the shoulder, then walked down the stairs. Val let out a hiss as he felt the muscles in his arm go numb. Bowie and Roland let out a laugh, then followed Virgo. Erilett walked over to Val and rubbed up against him, then Sawyer stepped next to the young man and gave his arm a twist. Val felt a sharp pain go through his arm, but it was replaced by the normal feeling.

Val thanked Sawyer, and together, along with Erilett, they walked down the stairs.

When they entered the room, the Harper recruits stared at the statues that filled the room. Only Bowie saw the thin tapestries that were covered with dirt and dust, and even ripped in some places.

The bard let out a soft whistle, that was actually a Legend Lore spell. He quickly learned that this room used to be a shrine to the goddess Mystra, and that this place was defiled by looters after the fall of the elven city.

"Well this is a cheerful place," Roland said with a sarcastic voice.

"This must have been a shrine to a god or goddess," Virgo as she looked at Sawyer. Sawyer nodded, seeing Erilett sniff around the statues.

Val was currently examining one of the shorter statues. "You don't think someone turned these people into statues?" he asked as a small stone hand crumbled at his touch.

The druid shook his head. "These statues were built by elven stone workers hundreds of years ago. If anything, these statues are falling apart because of old age."

"Sounds like some of the regulars at the Old Skull back in Shadowdale," Val commented, looking at Roland. They both wondered how long it would be before they were back in Shadowdale again.

Bowie quickly walked over to the doorway and called the recruits over to him. "Let's get moving, we still have places to explore."

"And dragons to kill," Roland added.

The Harper recruits followed their teacher as they walked down a wide hallway and entered a circular room. All seemed to be calm, until Roland let out a yell when he saw a rubber-like twelve foot sphere with six long tentacles Three of the tentacles held battle axes while the other three tentacles ended in toothy jaws, Dozens of eye stalks cover it's body.

"Deepspawn," Bowie shouted as one of the toothy tentacles shot out at him. The bard quickly countered the attack and slashed Vithril through the tentacle. Two more toothy tentacles struck at Bowie, but the bard easily sidestepped the attacks.

The bard began to sing a ballad that Storm had taught him years ago. Like before, the song began to flow through his body, and the bodies of his Harper recruits, giving them strength and courage. Roland and Val charged the deepspawn, batting away the battle axes the deepspawn swung at him. They moved their way through and drove their blades through the monster's brown hide.

One of the deepspawn's toothy jawed tentacles snapped forward and slapped Roland and Val, knocking them several feet away. When they hit the floor, the toothed tentacle that was bleeding (courtesy of the bard's sword as Val would say) struck down at them.

Erilett jumped in the air, landing onto the tentacle before it struck the two young men. Her claws and sharp teeth dug into the tentacle's skin. Roland and Val were up on their feet and swung their weapons at the tentacle, severing it from the rest of the deepspawn's body. The wolverine flipped off of the tentacle, and landed safely on the ground.

On the other side of the room, Bowie continued singing his song, as he slapped his short sword across a tentacle One of the battle axes managed to hit Bowie, but the bard shook off the blow, musing to himself that he had gotten worse hits from Storm Silverhand.

Raising his voice, Bowie slashed Vithril in a spiral motion, cutting off the armed tentacle that had just attacked him. "Virgo, Sawyer!" Bowie cried out, but he saw no sign of them.

A wide jawed tentacle came at Bowie's face, but the bard dodged the attack and weaved through another tentacle When he reached the deepspawn's hide, he stabbed out of two of it's eyestalks, then slashed his short sword through it's body.

Bowie stood back as the deepspawn's body began to wiggle and weave. The two tentacles Roland and Val were fighting-one toothed and the other armed with a battle axe, swung back and forth. They looked to see Bowie hacking Vithril through the deepspawn's body.

Roland and Val raced to join him, then began to plunge their swords through the deepspawn. The final blow was dealt by Roland, who watched as fire sprang from Flamestrike's blade and engulfed the deepspawn.

Ignoring the deepspawn's death cry, Val turned to look for his sister and her druid lover. When he saw no sign of them, he turned to Bowie, who shook his head. "They must have fell through a part of the wall."

Val sighed, but Roland noticed the small cut on Bowie's jerkin. "You're bleeding."

The halfling shook his head as a thin trail of blood spilled from the wound. "Just a scratch. Let's continue exploring, and maybe we'll find out what happened to Virgo and Sawyer."

Val nodded, then noticed the sad look in Erilett's face as he walked out of the room. Erilett was about to follow, when she saw some gold pieces under the deepspawn's body.

The wolverine let out a cry, and Roland and Val ran over, pushing the deepspawn's corpse away, revealing a large pile of gold. Roland dug through the gold and found a ceremonial gold dagger with a ruby in the pommel. He dug deeper and found a beautiful set of chain mail armor. "Good thing I found this, my armor is all beat up."

Picking p the dagger, Val smiled as Roland slipped of his breastplate armor and quickly put on the chain mail. Then he slipped the gold in the bag,

"Nice armor Roland," Val said as he placed the bag of gold on his belt. "I guess coming here wasn't all bad," he added with a sigh.

"Yes, I wonder what treasures Virgo and Sawyer are finding?" Roland asked out loud.

"I wonder that myself," Bowie sighed as Erilett laid next to his feet. The wolverine let out a soft cry and looked up. She knew that her master was alive, and that she would see him again.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Midsummer 1368 DR, Year of the Banner

It had happened all so fast. One minute they were in the lair with their companions and the deepspawn, and the next moment, the found themselves on the other side of the wall. Sawyer suggested they slipped on a loose plate in the floor, and they they were teleported to the other side. After two failed attempts of trying to find their way back, Sawyer and Virgo walked down a narrow path that led into a large chamber. In the middle of the chamber, sat a thin sarcophagus As they explored, Sawyer prayed to his goddess Mielikki, to watch over Erilett.

Virgo examined the sarcophagus, reading the elvish script that was written on the side. "Here lies High Priestess Serahina. May your soul be guided to the Forest Queen's loving arms."

Sawyer walked over to the sarcophagus, gently brushing it with his fingers. "The Forest Queen is another name for Mielikki."

Virgo rolled her eyes and threw the druid a smile. "You've only told me that a thousand times before darling." Her blue eyes spotted something else written on the side of the sarcophagus "Those highly favored by the Forest Queen will find a blessing in this sarcophagus" She looked at Sawyer, who shrugged.

_Open the lid, _Elowynn said in the druid's head. Sawyer glanced down at the blade on his belt. _Just do it,_ the sword cried out of frustration.

Wishing that his animal companion and the others were here, Sawyer lifted the stone lid of the sarcophagus Laying inside was a skeleton with a thin green sheet wrapped around her body. The druid stared at the skeleton for a moment, then jumped when he saw the skeleton's hand stick up in the air. Sawyer stepped back over to the skeleton and gently touched her fingertips.

Virgo was speechless as a staff materialized in the skeleton's hand. It's wooden shaft was colored brown with small leaf designs carved into it. At the head of the staff was a tear drop shaped diamond with green vines wrapped around it.

Sawyer gently took the staff and held it close, feeling the strong energy pulsing through it.

The skeleton's hand slowly dropped back into place. Sawyer looked over at Virgo and noticed a part of the wall slip into the floor, exposing a small open area. Using the staff as a walking stick, Sawyer gently took Virgo's hand, and together they waked out of the chamber.

Sawyer could smell the open air as he and Virgo examined their new surroundings. Large decaying trees had been planted at one side and the clear night sky could seen up above.

_This is the spot where one of my wielders fell_, Elowynn said softly in Sawyer's mind. _It was hundreds of years ago, but I remember it, as if it were yesterday._

"We can leave if you want," Sawyer told the green bladed sword.

_No I am quite fine,_ the sword responded. _It is nice to remember sometimes. Besides, you need your rest._

Sawyer smiled as he unbuckled his belt and unlaced his boots. He then laid down and gazed at the stars-that is until a naked Virgo climbed on top of him and kissed him deeply. The druid kissed her back and ran his fingers down her back as she unbuckled the rest of his leather armor.

Elowynn laid on the floor, next to the druid's boots. She then spotted a ghostly form hovering above in the air. She was about to alert Sawyer and Virgo, but after hearing the moans and other noises coming from them, she decided not to interrupt.

Bowie, Val, Roland, and Erilett found an abandoned library to rest for the time being. The bard sensed no danger in this room, except for the occasional book that would fall of a shelf and land close to Roland's or Val's feet.

The bard sat in an old chair, gently plucking the strings of his small silver harp. It was then that Sylune hovered into the room, looking at Bowie. "Sawyer and Virgo are safe," she said in her dreamy voice.

Erilett, Roland, and Val looked up at the ghost. "Are they all right?" asked Val.

"They're not hurt are they?" Roland added.

Sylune let out a girlish giggle. "Let's just say, there was much noise going on when I saw them."

Realizing what Sylune, Val and Roland looked at each other, then back at the ghost. "Thank you for filling our minds with that image Sylune," Val commented, shaking his head.

Sylune vanished, and Roland shook his head. "Well at least we know they are safe in each others-" his words were interrupted when Val hit him in the shoulder. Bowie sighed and continued to play his harp.

"Bowie, was your Harper trial like this?" Val asked the bard curiously.

"Somewhat," the halfling responded. "Storm gave me and Rouric the option of helping Danilo Thann and Mirt the Moneylender or to come and brave the dungeons of Myth Drannor with some fellow Harper recruits. Naturally we took the latter of the two choices."

"I know what you mean," commented Roland. "I would rather spend a night in a monster filled dungeon, then help those two."

Val looked at his best friend and said," Danilo is kind of a pompous ass, but Mirt isn't so bad."

"Not until he starts waddling around like he owns Faerun," Roland was quick to retort. "He's almost as bad as Vangerdahast."

"No one is worse than Vangerdahast," Val roared in anger. "I still can't believe he had us banned from ever going to Eveningstar."

Bowie sighed, remembering when he, Sawyer, and Virgo had gone to the small farming town of Eveningstar to offer Roland and Val to come to Shadowdale and become Harpers. When the bard began looking for the pair, he had learned that they had landed themselves in prison, for injuring many Purple Dragon Knights in a bar fight. Bowie had successfully managed to get them out of jail, but just as they were leaving Eveningstar, the royal magician Vangerdahast appeared and showed Bowie a charter, stating that Val and Roland were banned from entering the town of Eveningstar again.

"We got him good though," Val continued. "When we made that stop in Waymoot, we found him those two pleasure queens."

"I'm sure he loved that," Bowie remarked as he sat down and ate some rations. Truth be told, he had not remembered Val and Roland hiring any prostitutes in during their brief stay in Waymoot.

"He did," Roland said as he and Val brought out some food. "That is until he learned that those pleasure queens were really pleasure kings." He and Val roared in laughter as Bowie finished his rations.

"We'll show them though," Val commented. "We will come back to Cormyr as heroes, with riches far grander than all the snooty nobles."

Bowie nodded. "Follow your heart and dreams, and that just might happen Val."

"Spoken like a true bard," Roland and Val said at the same time. Bowie couldn't help but admire the two young men. For being only nineteen summers old, they possessed such wisdom, though it was disguised by their foolishness. They honored tradition and their elders, but weren't afraid of being honest.

"So Bowie, are there any kind of special Harper ceremonies?" Roland asked. "My Aunt Myrmeen told me of a few."

Val nodded and began chewing on an apple. "That would be something," he said in between bites. "To be apart of a Harper initiation ritual."

Bowie let out a smirk. "I'm sure I can think of something." His brown eyes looked down and watched the wolverine walk over and lay down next to his feet.

"The beaver has got the right idea," Val commented.

"Yes, we have a fight ahead," Bowie said as he stroked Erilett's fur. "So let's get a few hours rest and be ready."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Midsummer 1368 DR, Year of the Banner

The halfling, his two human companions, and the druid's wolverine entered a vast, well lit, rocky area with sharp stalactites that grew from the ceiling above. They scanned the area, looking for any sign of the dragon. Bowie drew Vithril when he saw a large, broken dragon skeleton. "What could have done this?" Bowie asked, looking at Roland and Val.

"A halfling, two humans, and a rat," howled a deep voice that shook the floor. "What fine trophies your heads will make for Dalugtin."

A twenty foot tall boar faced, ape-like demon with tiny leathery wings appeared in front of Bowie. His clawed hand pointed at the halfling. "Dalugtin will enjoy ripping your soul apart halfling."

Roland looked at Val. They both had a feeling they were going to fight a demon at some point, and though it didn't look like they were going to fight a dragon, this large beast would surely make for a good fight.

"I take it the dragon that was in these tunnels is laying right there," Bowie said, pointing his sword at the dragon bones.

The demon laughed. "My minions and I killed the dragon long ago and devoured his flesh. Now you will all die." The demon swung his claws at Bowie, but the halfling turned right, barely stepping out of the way of the claws. Roland stepped forward, slashing Flamestrike at the demon's body. The demon let out a scream as Roland's fiery blade struck his buttocks.

Val moved left of the demon's body, then stabbed Frostburn in Dalugtin's side. Dalugtin vanished from in front of Bowie, then reappeared several feet behind them, chanting some words in his abyssal tongue. Rainbow beams flashed around the demon's body, then burst across the room. Bowie felt pain in his body, but that was nothing compared to what Val, Roland, and Erilett were experiencing.

Val fell to the ground, as the memory of his father being slain by orcs flashed across his mind. Roland's memories were filled with his parent's death as well, and the fire that had consumed his home.

Erilett's nightmares were different, as she saw visions of Sawyer, Virgo, Roland, Val, and Bowie dying helplessly. Another vision passed through her mind, one of Sawyer yelling at her, calling her pathetic and useless. It was this memory that forced Erilett to her belly.

Then she heard Sawyer's voice inside of her head. _It's not real Erilett, the demon is conjuring all of this._ Pushing the bad visions away, Erilett rose to her feet, knowing that the druid was still alive, and that he would be back soon.

Memories of his parents being slain by Manshoon ran through Bowie's mind, but these were memories that the halfling conjured himself, and not the demon's creation. The memory filled him with a surge of energy. He ran forward and drove Vithril through the demon's stomach. The demon screamed and raked his claws across Bowie's face.

As the blood flowed down his stomach, Dalugtin conjured a black cloud, covering himself in darkness, and blinding the halfling.

Bowie spat the small trickle of blood that leaked from the cuts on his face as he waited for the demon to strike. He then felt something hit him, sending him to the floor. His ears picked up the sounds of growling and claws ripping through flesh..

When the darkness vanished, Bowie saw the demon covering his face, and blood on the wolverine's claws. The halfling rubbed his eyes when he spotted the large panther that stood next to the wolverine.

The panther let out a growl and jumped onto the demon, digging his paws into the demon's face.

"Bowie, what's wrong with Roland and my brother?" Virgo asked as she emerged from a large hole in the wall.

The bard looked down at Roland and Val, who were now just getting to their feet. "They were caught in the demon's spell," Bowie answered. "Is that panther Sawyer?" Virgo nodded with a look of pride on her face.

Erilett and Sawyer circled the demon. The blind demon raked his claws forward, actually scratching Sawyer. The panther stepped back and shifted back to the form of the druid. Bowie, as well as Val and Roland, were curious about the staff the druid held in his left hand.

The wolverine stepped back as the demon let out a mighty roar. Beside Dalugtin, two vrock demons appeared. The vrocks stepped towards the wolverine, but Val and Roland jumped in and intercepted the attacks. They swung their blades to block the wolverine from the the flesh ripping claws of the two vrock demons.

As Val and Roland were battling the vrocks, Sawyer drew Elowynn and cut the demon hard across the shoulder. Elowynn let out a war cry that filled the druid's head as the demon screamed in pain.

Gripping the staff, Sawyer channeled his druidic energy and the ancient energy of rocks that flowed around him. When he held his sword forward, green lighting shot from Elowynn's tip and hit the demon in the middle of the chest. The diamond on the staff's head began glow, and large vines sprouted from the ground, wrapping around the demon's legs. The demon tried to break free from the plants that bound his legs, but Virgo and Bowie drove their weapons through his chest. Despite the next blow the bard struck with Vithril, the demon wouldn't go down.

Then Sawyer slashed Elowynn hard across the demon's neck. He watched as Dalugtin's head fell to the floor, and shattered, spilling blood and brains next his headless corpse.

_Back to the abyss,_ the sword hissed. The druid nodded, then looked over at Val and Roland, who were finishing the vrocks with accurate cuts to their throats.

Erilett limped over to her master, who scooped her in his arms. Roland and Val had cuts and scratches all over their arms and armor. "Just a few scratches," said the two young men as they looked at Bowie, with smiles on their faces. Bowie smiled, then walked over to the hole where Virgo and Sawyer had emerged from. He peeked inside and saw the biggest treasure pile he had ever seen. "Where did you find this?" he asked as he stepped in.

"We found the back entrance," Virgo answered as she and the others walked over the hole and stepped inside.

"How are we going to split all of this five ways?" asked Val as he walked over and picked up a dark blue silk cloak. He draped it over his body and put the hood up over his head.

Everyone's eyes widened as Val's body vanished in front of their eyes. "Val, where did you go?" Roland asked.

"I'm still here," Val answered, his voice remaining in the same spot from where he stood.

Bowie smiled as he picked up a large hard cover black book, then saw Val's body return after the young man had removed the cloak's hood off of his head. "It must be an invisibility cloak," the halfling explained. "You can all have my share of the treasure. I only want a handful of the gold and this book."

Sawyer smiled as he stared at the cover of the book. "The Brilliant Book of Bardly Ballads," he read aloud.

Val turned to Roland and whispered," Try saying that five times fast." Roland accepted Val's challenge and began to say the words, but he failed to say the title five consecutive times. Bowie Butterball stepped out of the treasure pile and watched his students dig through, calling dibs on items that caught their eyes.

Out of Virgo's hands, Val grabbed a beautifully crafted great sword that had the symbol of the war god Tempus inscribed on it's pommel. Virgo took the sword back, and shoved her brother's face into the pile of gold coins near their feet. Sawyer had found a silver box. When he opened it, he found several animal figurines inside, each of them carved from a different kind of stone. Roland had found a unicorn shaped amulet, and gave it to Sawyer. The druid tried to give it back, but Roland insisted Sawyer keep it, to honor his goddess. Val then found a crimson colored cloak and gave it to Roland. Roland put on the cloak, wondering what powers it could bestow onto it's wearer.

"You should be proud Bowie," Sylune's voice whispered in Bowie's mind.

"I am," Bowie responded. "They've grown since I first met them, and now here they are."

"You have learned much as well," Sylune commented. "I wouldn't be surprised if they made you a Senior Harper someday."

Bowie shrugged. He knew his chances of a promotion to Senior Harper were slim, yet the idea of being promoted intrigued him a little bit,

Bowie Butterball, Senior Harper, that has a nice ring to it, the halfling said to himself.

Shortly after arriving back in Shadowdale two days later, Bowie went to the Old Skull Inn and asked if he could rent the lobby for the evening. The inn's proprietor, Jhaele Silvermane wasn't sure about letting the halfling rent the lobby, but once he told her of his plan, she accepted.

"I wonder why Bowie wanted us to meet him?" Val asked Roland as they entered the dark lobby, only wearing the cloaks that were draped over their bodies.

"And why would he want us to enter naked?" added Roland as they removed their cloaks.

"Its all part of the initiation gentlemen," Bowie answered as he stepped forward, holding a small lantern with a white candle in it. "To be a Harper is many things. You must endure and suffer much."

"We fought a demon and survived Myth Drannor, what more could you want from us?" asked Roland in a harsh tone.

"You must first cross the Anarouch Desert," Bowie said in an ominous voice.

Val and Roland looked at each other, wondering exactly what that meant. A second later, they felt hard wooden paddles hit their exposed backsides. They let out a yell as they were pushed down a line, where along the way, they were greeted with hard paddle swats by men dressed in black cloaks.

"Now you must endure the Unblinking Eye of Denier," Bowie said in the same tone of voice. Roland and Val were pushed back down the line, paddles slapping their rears as they went.

"I just realized Roland," Val said as he tried to suppress the stinging in his rear. "Crossing the Anarouch Desert is a lot like the Unblinking Eye of Denier."

"And now gentlemen," Bowie said, this time in a louder voice. "The Paddling of the Red Swollen Backsides with paddles."

Roland and Val were sent through one last wave of paddling and spanking. When it was over, their backsides were as red as Roland's new cloak. Bowie smiled as he handed the young men their cloaks.

"Well gentlemen, you are now Harpers," Bowie said in a cheerful voice. "Now let's all get drunk and listen to some Harper stories. You just might learn something." Despite the soreness in their bottoms, Roland and Val let out a cheer and walked over to Rouric, who was pouring the ale.


	8. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Nightal 15 1368 DR, Year of the Banner

In the middle of the final month during the Year of the Banner, the Harpers held their annual ball at Twilight Hall. The ball room inside of Twilight Hall was filled with crystalline tables and chairs. The ceiling depicted the illusion of snowflakes falling from the sky and the white walls and floor made the entire room glow.

Up on a small podium, a Master Harper named Cylyria Dragonbreast presented the twenty newest members of the Harpers, with beautifully decorated gold pins shaped like harps. The gold pins all let out a musical cry as they were placed in the hands of their new owners.

"How come we didn't get pins like those?" Rouric Balderk asked as he, Storm Silverhand, and Bowie Butterball all stood up and clapped for the newest additions to the Harpers Organization. Erilett sat on top of the table, looking at the newest members of the Harpers.

Four of the new Harpers, who were dressed up in silk shirts and breeches, (except for Virgo, who wore a beautiful dress) looked directly at Bowie, with smiles all over their faces.

"You should be proud," Storm whispered in the halfling's ear. Bowie stared at her for a moment, then looked around the room. He was surprised to see Queen Filfaeril and Sawyer's mother Jessica Jander, sitting at a table with Myrmeen Lhal and Dove Falconhand.

"When did Lady Jessica and Queen Filfaeril join the Harpers?" Bowie asked Storm.

Storm Silverhand glanced at the table and shrugged. "I'm not sure. They must have been given pins by Dove to let them in."

After a quick speech from Lady Dragonbreast, the music began playing, and many of the young men and women rose from their seats and walked to the dance floor.

After Rouric left the table to go dance with a beautiful dwarf maiden named Melinda Artisminer, Storm took Bowie's hand and led him out of the ball room. They walked down a small hallway and went into a small room.

"Storm, is everything all right?" Bowie asked as he looked around the room, seeing many portraits of past Harpers. "What are we doing here?"

Storm Silverhand smiled and presented Bowie with a large blue leather bound book. On the front of the book were the words: Diary of the Orchid.

"Bowie, this belonged to your mother Shayna," explained Storm. "Some of the Harpers wouldn't be too thrilled if they knew that I gave you this, but I think you should have it."

Bowie flipped through the pages. "Why would they want to keep something that belonged to my mother?"

Storm shook her head. "Some Harpers believed that the book held secrets of the Zhentarim, but all that is, is a journal your mother wrote in. It dates back from her days of Calimport, to the day you were born. There is something else that belongs to you that I've want to give you, but I can not. You will have to wait until the time comes."

"I understand and thank you," Bowie said as he tucked the book in his magical bag. "We best be off now. There are some young Harpers that I want to congratulate."

_**For those who harp I salute ye.**_


End file.
